The first Governor General to receive the CD was Viscount Alexander of Tunis in 1951,[3] the medal was initially awarded to all members of the Royal Family who served in the Canadian Forces, even without completion of twelve years of service; this has, however, not been automatic since 1953.[3]

Contents

The decoration is awarded to officers and non-commissioned members of the Regular and Reserve forces, including honorary appointments within the Canadian Armed Forces. However, time served while on the Supplementary Reserve List does not apply, the medal may be awarded to persons in possession of any long service, good conduct, or efficiency decoration or medal clasps, provided that the individual has completed the full qualifying periods of service for each award and that no service qualifying towards one award is permitted to count towards any other.

Service in the regular and reserve or auxiliary forces of the Commonwealth of Nations is counted towards the decoration if the final five years have been served with the Canadian Armed Forces and no other long service, good conduct, or efficiency medal has been awarded for the same service.

The medal is decagonal (ten-sided, representing the ten provinces), 36 millimetres across the flats, with raised busts,[1] the King George VI medal is .800 fine silver and gilded. The Queen Elizabeth II medal is tombac (a copper-zinc alloy) A gilded copper version was introduced in 2008, the King George VI medal has the uncrowned coinage head of King George VI, facing left, with the inscription GEORGIVS VI D: G: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF around the edge. The Queen Elizabeth II medal has the uncrowned coinage head of Queen Elizabeth II, facing right, with the inscription around the edge ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA with the word CANADA at the bottom, the reverse of the medal has a crown, three maple leaves and an eagle representing the navy, army and air force from top to bottom. The word SERVICE is on a scroll at the base and a fleur-de-lis is on each side of the crown, the Royal Cypher is superimposed on the centre of the King George VI medal, but is omitted from the Queen Elizabeth II medal.[3] The King George VI medal has the name and rank of the person to whom the medal was awarded to engraved on the reverse of the solid bar while the Queen Elizabeth II medal has the name and rank engraved around the edge of the medal. Early Queen Elizabeth II medals had the letters stamped rather than engraved.[3]

A clasp, also known as a bar, is awarded for every 10 years of subsequent service,[1] the bar is tombac and is 0.25 inches (6.4 mm) high, has the Canadian coat of arms in the centre surmounted by a crown, and is gold in colour. This is indicated on the undress ribbon bar by a rosette.[1]

Recipients of the Canadian Forces Decoration are entitled to use the post nominal letters "CD", this post-nominal is not affected by the awarding of clasps.[1]

1.
Monarchy of Canada
–
The Monarchy of Canada is at the very core of both Canadas federal structure and Westminster-style of parliamentary and constitutional democracy. The monarchy is the foundation of the executive, legislature, and judiciary in the federal, the Canadian sovereign is the personification of the Canadian state and, as a matter of constitutional law, is Canada. The current Canadian monarch, since 6 February 1952, is Queen Elizabeth II, as such, Elizabeths son, Prince Charles, is heir apparent. Although the person of the sovereign is shared with 15 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each countrys monarchy is separate. However, the Queen is the member of the Royal Family with any constitutional role. While some powers are only by the sovereign, most of the monarchs operational and ceremonial duties are exercised by his or her representative. In each of Canadas provinces, the monarch is represented by a lieutenant governor, as the territories are not sovereign, they do not have a viceroy. As all executive authority is vested in the sovereign, their assent is required to allow for bills to become law and for letters patent, Canada is one of the oldest continuing monarchies in the world. The emergence of this arrangement paralleled the fruition of Canadian nationalism following the end of the First World War and culminated in the passage of the Statute of Westminster in 1931. Upon a demise of the Crown, the late sovereigns heir immediately and automatically succeeds, without any need for confirmation or further ceremony, hence arises the phrase The King is dead. It is customary for the accession of the new monarch to be proclaimed by the governor general on behalf of the Privy Council. Following an appropriate period of mourning, the monarch is crowned in the United Kingdom in an ancient ritual. This is because, in law, the Crown never dies. After an individual ascends the throne, he or she continues to reign until death. The relationship between the Commonwealth realms is such that any change to the rules of succession to their respective crowns requires the consent of all the realms. Succession is governed by statutes, such as the Bill of Rights 1689, the Act of Settlement 1701, in 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated and any possible future descendants of his were excluded from the line of succession. As the Statute of Westminster 1931 disallowed the UK from legislating for Canada, including in relation to succession, the latter was deemed by the Cabinet in 1947 to be part of Canadian law, as is the Bill of Rights 1689, according to the Supreme Court of Canada. The Department of External Affairs included all succession-related laws in its list of acts within Canadian law, certain aspects of the succession rules have been challenged in the courts

2.
Campaign clasp
–
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. When used in conjunction with decorations for service, such as gallantry medals. In the example, Group Captain Leonard Cheshire, VC, OM, DSO, a British convention is to indicate bars by the use of asterisks, thus, DSO** would denote a DSO and two bars. Bars are also used on long service medals to indicate the length of service rendered. The two terms are used because terms bar and clasp both refer to two parts of the medal, the indicator discussed in article, and the part of the medal connected to the ribbon. One exception was the Army Gold Medal issued to higher ranking participants in the Peninsular War, a medal was given for service, with a clasp for each battle fought. After four clasps were earned the medal was turned in for a cross with the names on the arms. The maximum was achieved by the Duke of Wellington, with a cross, over the next 40 years, it became customary for governments to present a medal to all soldiers and officers involved in a campaign. These medals were engraved with the names of the major battles the recipient had fought in during the campaign. The Sutlej Medal was the earliest medal to use such bars and it was awarded to British Army and Honourable East India Company soldiers who fought in the First Anglo-Sikh War between 1845 and 1846. The first battle the recipient participated in would be engraved on the medal itself, if the recipient had participated in multiple engagements, silver bars bearing the name of each additional battle were attached to the medals ribbon. The creation of bars led to the development of General Service medals, bars would be awarded to denote the particular campaign or war the recipient fought in. The 1854 India General Service Medal was awarded to soldiers over a 41-year period, twenty-three clasps were created for this award, becoming one of the more extreme uses of this system. The Crimea Medal was issued with ornate battle bars, since then the general trend has been to have simple horizontal devices. Campaign bars or battle bars are used to denote the campaign, battle. This is the most common use of bars on military decorations. In the United Kingdom, campaign bars are known as clasps. Examples of ones that were issued are the enemy fire clasp on the 1914 Star

3.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Long Service Medal
–
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Long Service Medal was established by royal warrant on 6 March 1934 by King George V. It is the oldest continually awarded honour within the Canadian honours system, initially proposed by the Royal Northwest Mounted Police Veterans’ Association, it took more than ten years for the proposal to be realized. The determination of the veterans was aided by the interest of Commissioner Cortlandt Starnes, the RCMP Long Service Medal was unique in the history of the Canadian honours system. For the first time an honour was created to reward the service of Canadians serving within Canada, previous awards for service in Canada, like the Canada General Service Medal were presented to both Canadian and British personnel. The timing of the process to create of this came in the wake of the Nickel Resolution. The Nickel Resolution grew out of the discontent with the manner in which honours were awarded immediately after World War I, the Canadian government passed the recommendation for creating the honour on to the Dominions Office, who had experience with drafting Royal Warrants. Finally, on 6 March 1934, King George V signed the Royal Warrant creating the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Long Service Medal, Prime Minister R. B. Bennett countersigned the Royal Warrant 15 December 1934 signifying that the King was acting on the advice of his Canadian Ministry. In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the RCMP Long Service Medal, the RCMP Long Service Medal is awarded to Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers or Constables who are of an irreproachable character and have completed a minimum of twenty years of service. In 1954, clasps for the ribbon of the RCMP Long Service Medal were approved to signify additional years of service, the medal is round and made of sterling silver. It is suspended from a ribbon of blue, with two yellow stripes. The obverse of the medal depicts an effigy of Elizabeth II with the inscription around the edge Elizabeth II Dei Gratia Regina, the reverse depicts the heraldic badge of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with the inscription For Long Service and Good Conduct. To denote further service a series of clasps may be awarded, to denote twenty-five years of service the clasp is a bronze bar with a single five pointed star. For thirty years of service the clasp is silver with two stars, at thirty five years the clasp is gold with three stars. The final clasp, approved in 2004, is for forty years of service and it is a gold and silver bar with four stars

4.
Police Exemplary Service Medal
–
The Police Exemplary Service Medal is a Canadian service medal for police officers. The medal honours 20 years of exemplary service by police officers serving with one or more recognized Canadian police forces. The Police Exemplary Service Medal is circular, made of colored metal,36 millimetres in diameter. The obverse of the medal depicts a maple leaf with the scales of justice superimposed upon the center, circumscribed around the medal are the words Exemplary Service — Services Distingués. The areas between the edge of the medal and the leaf are cut out. The reverse depicts the crowned cypher of the monarch, the recipients name is engraved on the edge of the medal. The medal is suspended by a stylized inverted fleur-de-lis on a straight suspension bar, the ribbon of the medal is blue,32 millimetres wide, with two stripes of gold separating the ribbon into five equal vertical stripes. Each additional 10 year period of service may qualify recipients for award of a bar to the medal. The bar is silver and bears a maple leaf. When only wearing the ribbon bar, a silver maple leaf is pinned upon it to represent award of the bar. Regulations governing the award of the Police Exemplary Service Medal, office of the Secretary to the Governor General

5.
Canadian Armed Forces
–
This unified institution consists of sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the National Defence Act, the Canadian Armed Forces are an entity separate and distinct from the Department of National Defence, the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces is the reigning Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who is represented by the Governor General of Canada. The Canadian Armed Forces is led by the Chief of the Defence Staff, during the Cold War, a principal focus of Canadian defence policy was contributing to the security of Europe in the face of the Soviet military threat. Toward that end, Canadian ground and air forces were based in Europe from the early 1950s until the early 1990s, Canadian defence policy today is based on the Canada First Defence Strategy, introduced in 2008. Based on that strategy, the Canadian military is oriented and being equipped to carry out six core missions within Canada, in North America and globally. Prior to Confederation in 1867, residents of the colonies in what is now Canada served as members of French and British forces. Thereafter, the Royal Canadian Navy was formed, and, with the advent of military aviation and these forces were organised under the Department of Militia and Defence, and split into the Permanent and Non-Permanent Active Militias—frequently shortened to simply The Militia. By 1923, the department was merged into the Department of National Defence, the first overseas deployment of Canadian military forces occurred during the Second Boer War, when several units were raised to serve under British command. Similarly, when the United Kingdom entered into conflict with Germany in the First World War, the Canadian Crown-in-Council then decided to send its forces into the Second World War, as well as the Korean War. Since 1947, Canadian military units have participated in more than 200 operations worldwide, Canada maintained an aircraft carrier from 1957 to 1970 during the Cold War, which never saw combat but participated in patrols during the Cuban Missile Crisis. At the end of the Second World War, Canada possessed the fourth-largest air force and fifth-largest naval surface fleet in the world, conscription for overseas service was introduced only near the end of the war, and only 2,400 conscripts actually made it into battle. Originally, Canada was thought to have had the third-largest navy in the world and its roots, however, lie in colonial militia groups that served alongside garrisons of the French and British armies and navies, a structure that remained in place until the early 20th century. After the 1980s, the use of the Canadian Armed Forces name gave way to Canadian Forces, land Forces during this period also deployed in support of peacekeeping operations within United Nations sanctioned conflicts. The nature of the Canadian Forces has continued to evolve and they have been deployed in Afghanistan until 2011, under the NATO-led United Nations International Security Assistance Force, at the request of the Government of Afghanistan. The Armed Forces are today funded by approximately $20, the number of primary reserve personnel is expected to go up to 30,000 by 2020, and the number of active to at least 70,000. In addition,5000 rangers and 19,000 supplementary personnel will be serving, if this happens the total strength would be around 124,000. These individuals serve on numerous CF bases located in all regions of the country, and are governed by the Queens Regulations and Orders, the 2006 renewal and re-equipment effort has resulted in the acquisition of specific equipment to support the mission in Afghanistan. It has also encompassed initiatives to renew certain so-called core capabilities, in addition, new systems have also been acquired for the Armed Forces

6.
Governor General of Canada
–
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The commission is for a period of time—known as serving at Her Majestys pleasure—though five years is the normal convention. Beginning in 1959, it has also been traditional to rotate between anglophone and francophone incumbents, once in office, the governor general maintains direct contact with the Queen, wherever she may be at the time. The office began in the 16th and 17th centuries with the Crown-appointed governors of the French colony of Canada followed by the British governors of Canada in the 18th and 19th centuries, subsequently, the office is, along with the Crown, the oldest continuous institution in Canada. Throughout this process of gradually increasing Canadian independence, the role of governor general took on additional responsibilities, finally, in 1947, King George VI issued letters patent allowing the viceroy to carry out almost all of the monarchs powers on his or her behalf. The current governor general is David Johnston, who has served since 1 October 2010, johnstons wife—who is thus the viceregal consort—is Sharon Johnston. The Government of Canada spells the title governor general without a hyphen, the Canadian media still often use the governor-general spelling. As governor is the noun in the title, it is pluralized, thus, governors general, moreover, both terms are capitalized when used in the formal title preceding an incumbents name. The position of general is mandated by both the Constitution Act,1867, and the letters patent issued in 1947 by King George VI. As such, on the recommendation of his or her Canadian prime minister and that individual is, from then until being sworn-in, referred to as the governor general-designate. Besides the administration of the oaths of office, there is no set formula for the swearing-in of a governor general-designate, the governor general will then give a speech, outlining whichever cause or causes he or she will champion during his or her time as viceroy. The incumbent will generally serve for at least five years, though this is only a convention. The prime minister may recommend to the Queen that the viceroy remain in her service for a longer period of time. A governor general may also resign, and two have died in office, the sovereign has unrestricted freedom of choice. We leave that to Her Majesty in all confidence, however, between 1867 and 1931, governors general were appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British Cabinet. Thereafter, in accordance with the Statute of Westminster 1931, the appointment was made by the sovereign with the direction of his or her Canadian ministers only. Until 1952, all governors general were also members of the Peerage or sons of peers. These viceroys spent a limited time in Canada, but their travel schedules were so extensive that they could learn more about Canada in five years than many Canadians in a lifetime

7.
Viceroy
–
A viceroy /ˈvaɪs. rɔɪ/ is a regal official who runs a country, colony, city, province, or sub-national state, in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning in the place of, a viceroys territory may be called a viceroyalty, though this term is not always applied. The adjectival form is viceregal, less often viceroyal, the term vicereine is sometimes used to indicate a female viceroy suo jure, although viceroy can serve as a gender-neutral term. Vicereine is more used to indicate a viceroys wife. The title was used by the Crown of Aragon, where beginning in the 14th century, it referred to the Spanish governors of Sardinia. In Europe, until the 18th century, the Habsburg crown appointed viceroys of Aragon, Valencia, Catalonia, Navarre, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, with the ascension of the House of Bourbon to the Spanish throne, the historic Aragonese viceroyalties were replaced by new captaincies general. At the end of War of the Spanish Succession, the Spanish monarchy was shorn of its Italian possessions and these Italian territories, however, continued to have viceroys under their new rulers for some time, Sardinia would have a viceroy until 1848. These large administrative territories became known as Viceroyalties, New viceroyalties were created for New Granada in 1717 and the Río de la Plata in 1776. These units gathered the local provinces which could be governed by either a crown official, audiencias primarily functioned as superior judicial tribunals, but unlike their European counterparts, the New World audiencias were granted by law both administrative and legislative powers. The Bourbon Reforms introduced the new office of the intendant, which was appointed directly by the crown and had broad fiscal and administrative powers in political and military issues. The government started six years after the discovery of sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, in 1505, however the post was centered by governor Afonso de Albuquerque, who became plenipotentiary, and remained so. The duration in office was three years, possibly longer, given the power represented, of the thirty-four governors of India in the 16th century. After the end of the Iberian Union in 1640, the governors of Brazil that were members of the Portuguese high nobility started to use the title of Viceroy. Brazil became a permanent Viceroyalty in 1763, when the capital of the State of Brazil was transferred from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro, the designation Viceroy, although it was most frequently used in ordinary parlance, had no statutory authority, and was never employed by Parliament. The Governor-General continued to be the representative of the Crown. The viceroys reported directly to the Secretary of State for India in London and were advised by the Council of India, alongside the Commander-in-Chief, India, the viceroy was the public face of the British presence in India, attending to many ceremonial functions as well as political affairs. During the offices history, the Governors-General of India were based in two cities, Calcutta during the 19th century and New Delhi during the 20th century, additionally, whilst Calcutta was the capital of British India, the viceroys spent the summer months at Simla. The two historic residences of the viceroys still stand, the Viceroys House in New Delhi and Government House in Calcutta and they are used today as the official residences of the President of India and the Governor of West Bengal, respectively

8.
Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces
–
The Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces is the supreme commander of Canadas armed forces. Constitutionally, command-in-chief is vested in the Canadian sovereign, presently Queen Elizabeth II, by viceregal protocol, the title used with Canadian audiences is Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces and, in international contexts, Commander-in-Chief of Canada. However, beginning in 1904, the exercise of the duties of the commander-in-chief were delegated to the Governor General of Canada, the monarchs representative in the country. Throughout the development of the forces, the monarch has remained vested with command-in-chief. Following this, the patent issued in 1947 by King George VI referred to the Office of Governor General and Commander-in-Chief in. In 1968, following the unification of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force, an insignia pin is presented to members and the unit receives a scroll and may fly a special banner. Unique commander-in-chief rank insignia is displayed on the applicable Canadian Armed Forces uniforms which the commander-in-chief may choose to wear on occasion, the Canadian Crown and the Canadian Forces Colonel-in-Chief > Canada Department of National Defence, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada

9.
Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis
–
He then commanded the 15th Army Group for the capture of Sicily and again in Italy before receiving his field marshals baton and being made Supreme Allied Commander Mediterranean. Alexander proved to be enthusiastic about the Canadian wilderness and was a governor general with Canadians. He was the last non-Canadian-born governor general before the appointment of Adrienne Clarkson in 1999, Alexander retired in 1954 and died in 1969. Alexander was born in London into a family from County Tyrone of Ulster-Scots descent. He was the son of The Earl and Countess of Caledon. Alexander was educated at Hawtreys and Harrow School, there participating as the 11th batsman in the sensational Fowlers Match against Eton College in 1910, though Alexander toyed with the notion of becoming an artist, he went instead on to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. In September 1911, Alexander entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the British Armys Irish Guards. He was promoted to lieutenant in December 1912, Alexander spent most of the First World War on the Western Front. As a 22-year-old platoon commander in the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards and he took part in the retreat from Mons and was wounded at First Ypres and invalided home. He was promoted to captain on 15 November 1914 and permanent captain in the newly raised 2nd Battalion on 7 February the following year. He then returned to the 2nd Battalion as a officer and, in January 1916. For service in the Battle of the Somme on 15 September 1916, he was, in October, appointed to the Distinguished Service Order, the citation for which read, For conspicuous gallantry in action. He was the life and soul of the attack, and throughout the day led forward not only his own men but men of all regiments and he held the trenches gained in spite of heavy machine gun fire. In the same month, Alexander was further honoured with induction into the French Légion dhonneur, on 10 December 1916, his twenty-fifth birthday, Alexander became second-in-command of the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards as an acting major. By May, he was briefly acting CO of the 1st Battalion, as a lieutenant colonel. He became a permanent major on 1 August 1917 and was promoted acting lieutenant colonel. Alexander commanded his battalion at Third Ypres, where he was wounded, then at Bourlon Wood. Alexander, between 23 and 30 March 1918, had to command of the 4th Guards Brigade

10.
Commonwealth of Nations
–
The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as simply the Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of 52 member states that are mostly former territories of the British Empire. The Commonwealth dates back to the century with the decolonisation of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories. It was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which established the states as free. The symbol of free association is Queen Elizabeth II who is the Head of the Commonwealth. The Queen is also the monarch of 16 members of the Commonwealth, the other Commonwealth members have different heads of state,31 members are republics and five are monarchies with a different monarch. Member states have no obligation to one another. Instead, they are united by language, history, culture and their values of democracy, free speech, human rights. These values are enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter and promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games, the Commonwealth covers more than 29,958,050 km2, 20% of the worlds land area, and spans all six inhabited continents. She declared, So, it marks the beginning of that free association of independent states which is now known as the Commonwealth of Nations. As long ago as 1884, however, Lord Rosebery, while visiting Australia, had described the changing British Empire—as some of its colonies became more independent—as a Commonwealth of Nations. Conferences of British and colonial prime ministers occurred periodically from the first one in 1887, the Commonwealth developed from the imperial conferences. Newfoundland never did, as on 16 February 1934, with the consent of its parliament, Newfoundland later joined Canada as its 10th province in 1949. Australia and New Zealand ratified the Statute in 1942 and 1947 respectively, after World War II ended, the British Empire was gradually dismantled. Most of its components have become independent countries, whether Commonwealth realms or republics, there remain the 14 British overseas territories still held by the United Kingdom. In April 1949, following the London Declaration, the word British was dropped from the title of the Commonwealth to reflect its changing nature, burma and Aden are the only states that were British colonies at the time of the war not to have joined the Commonwealth upon independence. Hoped for success was reinforced by such achievements as climbing Mount Everest in 1953, breaking the four minute mile in 1954, however, the humiliation of the Suez Crisis of 1956 badly hurt morale of Britain and the Commonwealth as a whole. More broadly, there was the loss of a role of the British Empire. That role was no longer militarily or financially feasible, as Britains withdrawal from Greece in 1947 painfully demonstrated, Britain itself was now just one part of the NATO military alliance in which the Commonwealth had no role apart from Canada

11.
George VI
–
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death. He was the last Emperor of India and the first Head of the Commonwealth, known as Albert until his accession, George VI was born in the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria, and was named after his great-grandfather Albert, Prince Consort. As the second son of King George V, he was not expected to inherit the throne and spent his life in the shadow of his elder brother. He attended naval college as a teenager, and served in the Royal Navy, in 1920, he was made Duke of York. He married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923 and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, in the mid-1920s, he had speech therapy for a stammer, which he never fully overcame. Georges elder brother ascended the throne as Edward VIII upon the death of their father in 1936, however, later that year Edward revealed his desire to marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin advised Edward that for political and religious reasons he could not marry a divorced woman, Edward abdicated in order to marry, and George ascended the throne as the third monarch of the House of Windsor. During Georges reign, the break-up of the British Empire and its transition into the Commonwealth of Nations accelerated, the parliament of the Irish Free State removed direct mention of the monarch from the countrys constitution on the day of his accession. The following year, a new Irish constitution changed the name of the state to Ireland, from 1939, the Empire and Commonwealth – except Ireland – was at war with Nazi Germany. War with Italy and Japan followed in 1940 and 1941, respectively, though Britain and its allies were ultimately victorious in 1945, the United States and the Soviet Union rose as pre-eminent world powers and the British Empire declined. After the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, George remained king of countries, but relinquished the title of Emperor of India in June 1948. Ireland formally declared itself a republic and left the Commonwealth in 1949, George adopted the new title of Head of the Commonwealth. He was beset by problems in the later years of his reign. He was succeeded by his eldest daughter, Elizabeth II, George was born at York Cottage, on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, during the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria. His father was Prince George, Duke of York, the second and eldest-surviving son of the Prince and his mother was the Duchess of York, the eldest child and only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Teck. His birthday was the 34th anniversary of the death of his great-grandfather, Albert, uncertain of how the Prince Consorts widow, Queen Victoria, would take the news of the birth, the Prince of Wales wrote to the Duke of York that the Queen had been rather distressed. Two days later, he again, I really think it would gratify her if you yourself proposed the name Albert to her. Consequently, he was baptised Albert Frederick Arthur George at St. Mary Magdalenes Church near Sandringham three months later, within the family, he was known informally as Bertie

12.
Elizabeth II
–
Elizabeth II has been Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 6 February 1952. Elizabeth was born in London as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake duties during the Second World War. Elizabeths many historic visits and meetings include a visit to the Republic of Ireland. She has seen major changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation. She has reigned through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms and she is the worlds oldest reigning monarch as well as Britains longest-lived. In October 2016, she became the longest currently reigning monarch, in 2017 she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiments and press criticism of the family, however, support for the monarchy remains high. Elizabeth was born at 02,40 on 21 April 1926, during the reign of her paternal grandfather and her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York, was the second son of the King. Her mother, Elizabeth, Duchess of York, was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and she was delivered by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfathers London house,17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. Elizabeths only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930, the two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford, who was casually known as Crawfie. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature and music, Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margarets childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeths love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, others echoed such observations, Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant and her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved. During her grandfathers reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the throne, behind her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father, the Duke of York. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, many people believed that he would marry and have children of his own. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second-in-line to the throne, later that year, Edward abdicated, after his proposed marriage to divorced socialite Wallis Simpson provoked a constitutional crisis. Consequently, Elizabeths father became king, and she became heir presumptive, if her parents had had a later son, she would have lost her position as first-in-line, as her brother would have been heir apparent and above her in the line of succession

13.
Royal cypher
–
In the case where such a cypher is used by an emperor or empress, it is called an imperial cypher. In the system used by various Commonwealth realms, the title is abbreviated as R for rex or regina, previously, I stood for imperator or imperatrix of India. The cypher is displayed on some government buildings, impressed upon royal and state documents, the letter I for Imperatrix was added to Queen Victorias monogram after she became Empress of India in 1877. The purpose seems to have been simply to identify an individual sovereign, the initials were used mostly on government papers, duty stamps and similar objects, and were sometimes surmounted by a stylised version of the Tudor Crown or, more recently, St Edwards Crown. In Scotland, the Crown of Scotland appears in place of the Imperial Crown, though royal symbols differ among the sixteen Commonwealth realms, as they are separate monarchies, the one sovereign uses the same cypher throughout all of his or her countries. Nowadays, the initials are also called the royal cypher, but, to aid clarification, the present Queens cypher is EIIR, standing for Elizabeth II Regina. Cyphers for other members of the Royal Family are designed by the College of Arms or Court of the Lord Lyon and are approved by the Queen. These cyphers have been incorporated by the Canadian Heraldic Authority into the royal standards of Canada. Other royal houses have also use of royal or imperial cyphers. Ottoman sultans had a signature, their tughra. All the monarchs of Europes six other surviving kingdoms use cyphers, Philippe of Belgium uses the letters P and F intertwined, referring to the fact that his name is Philippe in French, but Filip in Dutch, the two main languages in Belgium. King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand uses a cypher made up of his initials in Thai script, Royal sign-manual Signum manus Heraldic badge Personal Flag of Queen Elizabeth II H7 Mon MacCormick v Lord Advocate Pillar Box War

14.
Tombac
–
Tombac, as it is spelled in French, or tombak, is a brass alloy with high copper content and 5–20% zinc content. Tin, lead or arsenic may be added for colouration and it is a cheap malleable alloy mainly used for medals, ornament, decoration and some munitions. In older use, the term may apply to brass alloy with a content as high as 28–35%. The term tombak is derived from tembaga, an Indonesian/Malay word of Javanese origin meaning copper, tembaga entered Dutch usage concurrent with their colonisation of Indonesia. Likely, the term was used generically to describe Indonesian high-copper brass items and it is one of the very few Indonesian loan words used in English, German, or Dutch. Tombac is easy and soft to work by hand, hand tools can easily punch, cut, enamel, repousse, engrave, gild and it has a higher sheen than most brasses or copper, and does not easily tarnish. Historically, it was used by the Javanese as a gold finish for objects dart. Most commonly, tombac in modern society is used in medals and awards of lesser importance, the Pickelhaube and cuirass of the Imperial German and Prussian Army were at one time made of tombac. German, particularly Prussian, field uniforms, had buttons and decorative fittings made of tombac, currently, tombac foils are used in arts and crafts for decorative articles, especially as an economic alternative to very expensive gold leaf. Industry uses tombac foil for heating foils and etch applications, gilding metal is a type of tombac which is one of the most common jacketing materials for full metal and hollow-point jacketed bullets. The 1980 Olympic Bronze medals were actually tombac, during World War II, Canada minted nickels in tombac in 1942 and 1943. The German military used it for some combat medals during World War II, the Swedish armed forces adopted a special-service round for the Carl Gustav m/45 submachine gun with a tombac-plated steel jacket surrounding the lead core of the bullet loaded in the cartridge. Tumbaga National Pollutant Inventory - Copper and compounds fact sheet Tombac - DiracDelta Science & Engineering Encyclopedia The Line Pickelhaube Schlenk German tombak manufacturer

15.
Christopher McCreery
–
Christopher McCreery, MVO FRCGS FRHSC is a Canadian author and historian. A native of Kingston, Ontario, McCreery holds a doctorate in Canadian history from Queens University and his Master’s thesis, “Questions of Honour, Canadian Government Policy Towards Titular Honours”, was the first major academic work to examine the Canadian titles debate and the Nickle Resolution. McCreery regularly comments on matters related to the Canadian honours system, the Order of Canada, since 2005, he has served as the National Historian for St. John Ambulance Canada and the Venerable Order of Saint John in Canada. In February 2009, McCreery was appointed Private Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, during the 2010 Royal Tour of Canada, he was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order by Queen Elizabeth II in Halifax. In 2010, McCreery was appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to the Governor General Consultation Committee, in April 2012, McCreery was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Museum of History / Canadian War Museum for a four-year term. Official website McCreerys Order of Canada history website | www. orderofcanada50. ca

16.
International Standard Book Number
–
The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker

17.
Toronto
–
Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. With a population of 2,731,571, it is the fourth most populous city in North America after Mexico City, New York City, and Los Angeles. A global city, Toronto is a centre of business, finance, arts, and culture. Aboriginal peoples have inhabited the area now known as Toronto for thousands of years, the city itself is situated on the southern terminus of an ancient Aboriginal trail leading north to Lake Simcoe, used by the Wyandot, Iroquois, and the Mississauga. Permanent European settlement began in the 1790s, after the broadly disputed Toronto Purchase of 1787, the British established the town of York, and later designated it as the capital of Upper Canada. During the War of 1812, the town was the site of the Battle of York, York was renamed and incorporated as the city of Toronto in 1834, and became the capital of the province of Ontario during the Canadian Confederation in 1867. The city proper has since expanded past its original borders through amalgamation with surrounding municipalities at various times in its history to its current area of 630.2 km2. While the majority of Torontonians speak English as their primary language, Toronto is a prominent centre for music, theatre, motion picture production, and television production, and is home to the headquarters of Canadas major national broadcast networks and media outlets. Toronto is known for its skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, in particular the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere. The name Toronto is likely derived from the Iroquois word tkaronto and this refers to the northern end of what is now Lake Simcoe, where the Huron had planted tree saplings to corral fish. A portage route from Lake Ontario to Lake Huron running through this point, in the 1660s, the Iroquois established two villages within what is today Toronto, Ganatsekwyagon on the banks of the Rouge River and Teiaiagonon the banks of the Humber River. By 1701, the Mississauga had displaced the Iroquois, who abandoned the Toronto area at the end of the Beaver Wars, French traders founded Fort Rouillé on the current Exhibition grounds in 1750, but abandoned it in 1759. During the American Revolutionary War, the region saw an influx of British settlers as United Empire Loyalists fled for the British-controlled lands north of Lake Ontario, the new province of Upper Canada was in the process of creation and needed a capital. Dorchester intended the location to be named Toronto, in 1793, Governor John Graves Simcoe established the town of York on the Toronto Purchase lands, instead naming it after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. Simcoe decided to move the Upper Canada capital from Newark to York, the York garrison was constructed at the entrance of the towns natural harbour, sheltered by a long sandbar peninsula. The towns settlement formed at the end of the harbour behind the peninsula, near the present-day intersection of Parliament Street. In 1813, as part of the War of 1812, the Battle of York ended in the towns capture, the surrender of the town was negotiated by John Strachan. US soldiers destroyed much of the garrison and set fire to the parliament buildings during their five-day occupation, the sacking of York was a primary motivation for the Burning of Washington by British troops later in the war

18.
Canada
–
Canada is a country in the northern half of North America. Canadas border with the United States is the worlds longest binational land border, the majority of the country has a cold or severely cold winter climate, but southerly areas are warm in summer. Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its territory being dominated by forest and tundra. It is highly urbanized with 82 per cent of the 35.15 million people concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, One third of the population lives in the three largest cities, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Its capital is Ottawa, and other urban areas include Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec City, Winnipeg. Various aboriginal peoples had inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years prior to European colonization. Pursuant to the British North America Act, on July 1,1867, the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick and this began an accretion of provinces and territories to the mostly self-governing Dominion to the present ten provinces and three territories forming modern Canada. With the Constitution Act 1982, Canada took over authority, removing the last remaining ties of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II being the head of state. The country is officially bilingual at the federal level and it is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries. Its advanced economy is the eleventh largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources, Canadas long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its economy and culture. Canada is a country and has the tenth highest nominal per capita income globally as well as the ninth highest ranking in the Human Development Index. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, Canada is an influential nation in the world, primarily due to its inclusive values, years of prosperity and stability, stable economy, and efficient military. While a variety of theories have been postulated for the origins of Canada. In 1535, indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Quebec City region used the word to direct French explorer Jacques Cartier to the village of Stadacona, from the 16th to the early 18th century Canada referred to the part of New France that lay along the St. Lawrence River. In 1791, the area became two British colonies called Upper Canada and Lower Canada collectively named The Canadas, until their union as the British Province of Canada in 1841. Upon Confederation in 1867, Canada was adopted as the name for the new country at the London Conference. The transition away from the use of Dominion was formally reflected in 1982 with the passage of the Canada Act, later that year, the name of national holiday was changed from Dominion Day to Canada Day

19.
Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada
–
The monarch in right of each Canadian province also issues distinct orders and medals to honour residents for work performed in just their province. The provincial honours, as some of their national counterparts, grant the use of post-nominal letters and or supporters. In Canada, the monarch is represented by the governor general, as such, the administration of the honours system is carried out by the Chancellery of Honours at Government House, which is a part of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General of Canada. The governor general also sets out via Order in Council the order of precedence for the wearing of insignia, decorations, appointments into the order continued even after the transfer of New France to the British Crown in 1763. After the creation of British North America, Canadians were entitled to receive British imperial honours, appointments into the Order of the British Empire, into grades below those that carried a title, were also commonly made. Such acts of recognition were carried out by the reigning British monarch, the British government felt no obligation to consult any government in British North America before bestowing an honour upon any resident of the colonies. Thereafter, the Canadian House of Commons in 1917 and 1919 passed the Nickle Resolutions, the end of the conferment of imperial honours on Canadians came in 1955. Governor General the Viscount Monck had originally pushed for a distinct Canadian order of knighthood in 1867, the idea was revived by Vincent Massey in 1935 and again in 1951, in between which he also suggested in 1940 a Royal Order of Canada. The Canadian Cabinet, however, never accepted these proposals, generally wishing instead to steer clear of the topic of orders. Bennett, this was the first time a specific to Canada. In 1942, the Canada Medal was created by royal warrant of King George VI, though none was ever struck, in 1951, the first distinctly Canadian campaign medal, the Korea Medal, was created, when other Commonwealth countries used the British version. The centennial of Canadian Confederation in 1967 provided the opportunity and circumstances in which to establish Canadas first order. In June 2010, McCreery highlighted inconsistency in honouring those in Canadas royal family, for example, the Queen Mother was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada on only an honorary basis, though the Canadian Forces Decoration awarded to her was substantive. Upon taking office, governors general and viceregal consorts become Extraordinary Companions of the Order of Canada, the governor general also sets out, via Order in Council, the order of precedence for the wearing of insignia, decorations, and medals. The chancellery will investigate whether or not the honour is necessary. Any future amendments to the appearance or award criteria do not need the monarchs approval. There are also advisory councils or committees for decorations in general and for valour decorations, the Secretary to the Governor General will usually serve as secretary general to many of these boards. The Canadian honours system also includes two dynastic orders—the Order of Merit and the Royal Victorian Order—and one personal award of the sovereign—the Royal Victorian Chain and these were created by the sovereign alone and inductions and presentations are at his or her personal discretion

20.
Victoria Cross (Canada)
–
The Victoria Cross, created in 1993, is a military decoration and the highest award within the Canadian honours system, taking precedence over all other orders, decorations, and medals. Recipients are entitled to use the post-nominal letters VC and also to receive an annuity of C$3,000, the decoration has not been awarded since its inception. The cross could also not be awarded posthumously until the policy was reversed in 1902, until 1972,81 members of the Canadian military and 13 Canadians serving in British units had been awarded the Victoria Cross. The prime minister at the time, Pierre Trudeau, regularly dodged questions about the Victoria Cross, stating that only Canadians should receive Canadian decorations. It was his successor, Brian Mulroney, who set up in 1987 a committee to look into the creation of a Canadian Victoria Cross as part of a new series of military honours. The request was approved with the issue of patent by Queen Elizabeth II on 2 February of the following year. Thus, a Canadian serving as part of an operation is eligible to be awarded the Victoria Cross if the service member fulfils the above criteria. Alternatively, a commander can submit a name for consideration. Previously, Canadians who were awarded the British Victoria Cross were given special headstones at their burial sites in Commonwealth War Graves. It had also agreed at the time of the Unknown Soldiers repatriation that no award or decoration would be bestowed on the remains. No decision was taken about the awarding of the Canadian Victoria Cross to the Canadian Unknown Soldier, near the end of Canadas role in the Afghanistan War, concerns were raised about the stringency of the criteria that needed to be met to receive the Victoria Cross. This led then Chief of the Defence Staff, Walter Natynczyk, the design of the Canadian medal is derived from that of the British original, which was the creation of Albert, Prince Consort, royal consort to Queen Victoria. Edwards Crown, which rests above a semi-circular scroll. On the reverse is a circle for engraving the date of the act of gallantry along with the name, rank. Cathy Bursey-Sabourin, Fraser Herald of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, and these were cast, rather than struck, continuing the tradition started in the United Kingdom when it was found the metal alloy was too brittle for striking, and finished at the Royal Canadian Mint. As the apex of the Canadian system of honours, the Victoria Cross is to be worn before all other Canadian decorations and insignia of orders, including the Order of Merit and the Order of Canada. It is worn as a medal, suspended from a bar on the left chest, unless protocol calls for a ribbon bar. Our Bravest and Our Best, The Stories of Canadas Victoria Cross Winners, valiant Hearts, Atlantic Canada and the Victoria Cross

21.
Cross of Valour (Canada)
–
The Cross of Valour was conceived of as a replacement for the Order of Canadas Medal of Courage, which had never been awarded since its creation in 1967. Prior to 1967, the equivalent medal that Canadians received was the George Cross, of ten were awarded in Canada, eight military, one merchant navy. But, because Garetts nominator waited until the trial for the murderer was concluded. After a public outcry, the Governor General-in-Council adjusted the rules of application for the Cross of Valour, garrett was granted the Star of Courage. The medal is a cross of four equal limbs rendered in gold, with the obverse enamelled in red and edged with gold, the recipients name and the date of the incident for which they are being honoured are engraved underneath the motto. Anyone may nominate or be nominated for receipt of the Cross of Valour, the incident need not take place in Canada, acts of Courage,17 Heroes Who Won the Cross of Valour. Medals in a Minute, the Cross of Valour, perilous winter rescue rewarded with rare Cross of Valour. Canwest Publishing Inc. Department of National Defence, News Room > News Releases > Search-and-rescue technicians receive Cross of Valour. Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, Cross of Valour Recipients Genealogy Project

22.
Order of Canada
–
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is the second highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada. It comes second only to membership in the Order of Merit, membership is accorded to those who exemplify the orders Latin motto, desiderantes meliorem patriam, meaning they desire a better country, a phrase taken from Hebrews 11,16. Appointees to the order are recommended by a board and formally inducted by the governor general or the sovereign. As of October 2016,6,699 people have been appointed to the Order of Canada, including scientists, musicians, politicians, artists, athletes, business people, and film stars, benefactors, and others. Some have resigned or have been removed from the order, while other appointments have been controversial, appointees are presented with insignia and receive the right to armorial bearings. Pearson, who was assisted with the establishment of the order by John Matheson. Laurent, Hugh MacLennan, David Bauer, Gabrielle Roy, Donald Creighton, Thérèse Casgrain, Wilder Penfield, Arthur Lismer, M. J. Coldwell, Edwin Baker, Alex Colville, and Maurice Richard. From the Order of Canada grew a Canadian honours system, thereby reducing the use of British honours, by the 1980s, Canadas provinces began to develop their own distinct honours and decorations. The Canadian monarch, seen as the fount of honour, is at the apex of the Order of Canada as its Sovereign, followed by the governor general, who serves as the fellowships Chancellor. Thereafter follow three grades, which are, in order of precedence, Companion, Officer, and Member, each incumbent governor general is also installed as the Principal Companion for the duration of his or her time in the viceregal post and continues as an extraordinary Companion thereafter. As of March 2016, there have twenty one honorary appointments. There were originally, in effect, only two ranks to the Order of Canada, Companion and the Medal of Service, there was, however, also a third award, the Medal of Courage, meant to recognize acts of gallantry. This latter decoration fell in rank between the two levels, but was anomalous within the Order of Canada, being a separate award of a different nature rather than a middle grade of the order. Lester Pearsons vision of a structure to the order was thus fulfilled. Companions of the Order of Canada have demonstrated the highest degree of merit to Canada and humanity, up to 15 Companions are appointed annually, with an imposed limit of 165 living Companions at any given time, not including those appointed as extraordinary Companions or in an honorary capacity. As of October 2015, there are 143 living Companions, none being honorary, since 1994, substantive members are the only regular citizens who are empowered to administer the Canadian Oath of Citizenship. As of October 2015, there were 1,123 living Officers, Members of the Order of Canada have made an exceptional contribution to Canada or Canadians at a local or regional level, group, field or activity. As many as 136 Members may be appointed annually, not including extraordinary Members and those inducted on an honorary basis, as of October 2015, there were 2,225 living Members, none being honorary

23.
Order of Military Merit (Canada)
–
The three tiers of the order are Commander, Officer, and Member, specific individuals may be given extraordinary and deserving non-Canadians granted with honorary appointment into each grade. Thereafter follow three grades—each having accordant post-nominal letters that are the same in both English and French, additionally, any governor general, former governor general, or member of the Canadian Royal Family in the Canadian Forces may be appointed as an extraordinary commander, officer, or member. There are no limits to the population of any grade, and promotions are possible, any person thus honoured must return their lower grade insignia, as no member may at any time hold more than one appointment in the organization. Upon admission into the Order of Military Merit, members are presented the appropriate insignia, though these remain property of the Crown. The Sovereigns insignia is a jewelled, 18kt gold crown of rubies, emeralds, at the centre is a disc bearing a maple leaf in pavé-laid rubies on a white enamel background, surrounded at its edge by a red enamel ring bearing the words MERIT • MÉRITE • CANADA. The badges for inductees are of a design to the sovereigns badge, though without precious stones. The reverse bears only a number, and all are topped by a St. Edwards Crown. These insignia are worn with the ribbon, which is blue with golden edges. Women wear their emblems on a bow pinned at the left chest. These same miniatures also serves as a pin for civilian wear. Many outstanding master seaman, petty officers, and lieutenants are as deserving as senior officers, appointments are also not made posthumously, though members of foreign armed forces can be admitted as honorary members in any grade. Still, more than 3,000 individuals have been appointed to the Order of Military Merit since its inception,2,300 into the rank of Member, the governor general may, by ordinance, remove someone from the order

24.
Order of Merit of the Police Forces
–
The Order of Merit of the Police Forces is an honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the only such fellowship reserved for only members of Canadas various police forces. Created in 2000, the order is administered by the Governor General-in-Council, appointment to the order recognizes conspicuous merit and exceptional service, the level of which is reflected by the organizations three hierarchical grades. This prompted the Solicitor General of Canada at the time, Herb Gray, to contact his provincial counterparts, the first induction ceremony for the order then took place on 17 May 2002. Thereafter follow three grades—each having accordant post-nominal letters that are the same in both English and French, promotions in grade are possible, though there are limits to the populations of the grades. Any person thus honoured must return their lower grade insignia, as no member may at any time more than one appointment in the organization. Upon admission into the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, members are gifted various insignia of the organization, the reverse bears only a serial number, and all are topped by a St. Edwards Crown, symbolizing that the order is headed by the sovereign. These insignia are worn with the ribbon, which is three bands of equal width, the outer two in blue and the centre one in golden. Women wear their emblems on a bow pinned at the left chest. These same miniatures also serves as a pin for civilian wear. Approximately 50 individuals are admitted to the each year, the total is limited to 0. 1% of the total number of employees of police services in Canada in the preceding year. No more than six percent of those appointed to the order in total may be inducted as Commanders, inductions are also not made posthumously, though members of foreign armed forces can be admitted as honorary members in any grade. The constitution of the order allows for the removal of members

25.
Order of Merit
–
The Order of Merit is an order of merit recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. While all members are awarded the right to use the post-nominal letters OM and a medallion for life, however, Sir Frederic Leighton, President of the Royal Academy, advised against the new order, primarily because of its selection process. From its inception, the order has been open to women, Florence Nightingale being the first woman to receive the honour, several individuals have refused admission into the Order of Merit, such as Rudyard Kipling, A. E. Housman, and George Bernard Shaw. To date, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, remains the youngest person inducted into the Order of Merit, having been admitted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1968. All citizens of the Commonwealth realms are eligible for appointment to the Order of Merit, since 1991, it has been required that the insignia be returned upon the recipients death. However, it has been claimed by Stanley Martin, in his book The Order of Merit 1902–2002, One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour, that the Order of Merit is the pinnacle of the British honours system. Some orders of precedence are as follows, Martin, Stanley, The Order of Merit, One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour, New York City, I. B

26.
Royal Victorian Order
–
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch of the Commonwealth realms, members of the monarchs family, the present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, is the Sovereign of the order, its motto is Victoria, and its official day is 20 June. The orders chapel is the Savoy Chapel in London, the organisation was founded a year preceding Victorias Diamond Jubilee, so as to give the Queen time to complete a list of first inductees. The orders official day was made 20 June of each year, in 1902, King Edward VII created the Royal Victorian Chain as a personal decoration for royal personages and a few eminent British subjects and it was the highest class of the Royal Victorian Order. It is today distinct from the order, though it is issued by the chancery of the Royal Victorian Order. The order was open to foreigners from its inception, the Prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, Queen Elizabeth II then appointed her daughter, Anne, Princess Royal, to the position in 2007. Foreigners may be admitted as members, there are no limits to the number of any grade. Retiring Deans of the Royal Peculiars of St, prior to 1984, the grades of Lieutenant and Member were classified as Members and Members, respectively, but both with the post-nominals MVO. On 31 December of that year, Queen Elizabeth II declared that those in the grade of Member would henceforth be Lieutenants with the post-nominals LVO. Upon admission into the Royal Victorian Order, members are given various insignia of the organisation, each grade being represented by different emblems and robes. For Knights and Dames Grand Cross, Commanders, and Lieutenants, the orders ribbon is blue with red-white-red stripe edging, the only difference being that for foreigners appointed into the society, their ribbon bearing an additional central white stripe. For Knights Grand Cross, the ribbon is 82.5 millimetres wide, for Dames Grand Cross 57.1 millimetres, for Knights and Dames Commander 44.4 millimetres, and for all other members 31.7 millimetres. Though after the death of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross their insignia may be retained by their family, the collar must be returned. Knights and Dames Grand Cross also wear a mantle of blue satin edged with red satin and lined with white satin. Since 1938, the chapel of the Royal Victorian Order has been the Queens Chapel of the Savoy, in central London, upon the occupants death, the plate is retained, leaving the stalls festooned with a record of the orders Knights and Dames Grand Cross since 1938. There is insufficient space in the chapel for the display of knights and dames banners, founded by Michael Jackson, the group has, since 2008, gathered biennially. The practice of notifying the Prime Minister of Canada of nominees ended in 1982, in Canada, the order has come to be colloquially dubbed as the Royal Visit Order, as the majority of appointments are made by the sovereign during her tours of the country. Persons have been removed from the order at the monarchs command, anthony Blunt, a former surveyor of the Queens Pictures, was in 1979 stripped of his knighthood, after it was revealed that he had been a spy

27.
Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)
–
The orders approximately 25,000 members, known as confrères, are mostly of the Protestant faith, though those of other Christian denominations or other religions are accepted into the order. Except via appointment to government or ecclesiastical offices in some realms, membership is by invitation only. It is a constituent member of the Alliance of the Orders of St John of Jerusalem and its headquarters are in London and it is a registered charity under English law. This was to be achieved by issuing bonds in London to form an army of demobilized British soldiers using readily available. The council was reorganised and the Marquis de Sainte-Croix du Molay became its head, scotsman Donald Currie was in 1827 given the authority to raise £240,000. Anyone who subscribed to the project and all commissioned officers of the army were offered the opportunity of being appointed knights of the order. Few donations were attracted, though, and the Greek War of Independence was won without the help of the knights of the Council of the French Langues and it was headquartered at what Mortara called the Auberge of St. John, St Johns Gate, Clerkenwell. The creation of the langue has been regarded either as a revival of the Knights Hospitaller or the establishment of a new order, on 29 January 1831, in the presence of Philip de Castellane and the Agent-General of the French Langues, Peat was elected Prior ad interim. Sir Robert Peat died in April 1837 and Sir Henry Dymoke was appointed grand prior and re-established contact with the knights in France and Germany, into which the group had by that time expanded. This new entity grew its membership over the three decades and, in 1861, the Duke of Manchester agreed to become its grand prior. Additionally, an associated national hospitaller organisation was formed with a corps of ambulances, Sir Edmund Lechmere purchased St Johns Gate as the orders headquarters two years later, the property was initially leased from Lechmere before the order acquired the freehold in 1887. The name given when first constituted in 1888 as the present order of chivalry by Queen Victorias royal charter was Grand Priory of the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem in England. Its most recent royal charter was granted in 1955, with a charter issued in 1974. In 1999, the order received special status from the United Nations Economic. The Grand Prior may also appoint a secretary of the order, since the orders royal charter of 1888, the Grand Prior has been appointed by the Sovereign Head and has always been a member of the royal family. All Priors, should not already be in the grade or higher, are made a Knight or Dame of Justice upon their assignment. Knights and Dames receive the accolade from the grand prior when they are touched on the shoulder with a sword and are given their robes, bailiffs and Dames Grand Cross additionally have the right to be granted heraldic supporters for life. In 2013, the Priory of Kenya and in 2014 the Priory of Singapore were formed, each is governed by a prior and a priory chapter

28.
Alberta Order of Excellence
–
The Alberta Order of Excellence is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C, Canadian citizenship is a requirement, and those who are elected or appointed members of a governmental body are ineligible as long as they hold office. Only 10 people may be inducted each year, though a nomination may remain up for consideration by the council for seven years, upon admission into the Alberta Order of Excellence, in a ceremony held at Government House in Edmonton, members are presented with the orders insignia. On the reverse is a maple leaf supported by a sheaf of wheat, members will also receive for wear on casual clothing a lapel pin. Canadian order of precedence Symbols of Alberta Alberta Order of Excellence

29.
Order of British Columbia
–
The Order of British Columbia is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Only those who are elected or appointed members of a body are ineligible as long as they hold office. There are no limits on how many can belong to the order or be inducted at one time and this committee then meets once yearly to make its selected recommendations to the lieutenant governor. Upon admission into the Order of British Columbia, in a ceremony held at Government House in Victoria, edwards Crown symbolizing the Canadian monarchs role as the fount of honour. Members will also receive for wear on casual clothing a lapel pin, appearing as a smaller enamel Dogwood flower capped by a crown

30.
Order of Manitoba
–
The Order of Manitoba is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. If the chief justice is unable to serve on the council for any reason, thereafter, the new Members are entitled to use the post-nominal letters OM. Upon admission into the Order of Manitoba, usually in a ceremony held at Government House in Winnipeg, edwards Crown symbolizing the Canadian monarchs role as the fount of honour. The ribbon is patterned with stripes in red, blue. Members also receive a pin that can be worn during less formal occasions. Canadian order of precedence Symbols of Manitoba State decoration Order of Manitoba Page

31.
Order of Ontario
–
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Canadian citizenship is not a requirement and elected or appointed members of a body are ineligible as long as they hold office. There are no limits on how many can belong to the order or be invested at one time, upon admission into the Order of Ontario, new Members are presented with the orders insignia. The main badge consists of a medallion in the form of a stylized trillium. The name of the Member is engraved on the reverse, along with the date of his or her investiture, Members also receive two lapel pins that can be worn during less formal occasions, and an official certificate. Canadian order of precedence Symbols of Ontario Order of Ontario webpage

32.
National Order of Quebec
–
The order contains three grades, each with accordant post-nominal letters and place in the Canadian order of precedence for honours, decorations, and medals. This body is mandated to short-list candidates and forward their suggestions to the Governor-in-Council. Any person born, living, or who has lived in Quebec, save for anyone serving as a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec, is eligible to be nominated and names may be submitted posthumously. The Cabinet may also, without the input of the Council of the National Order of Quebec, promotion through the grades is possible for both substantive and honorary members. Admission recognizes conspicuous meritorious actions that improve or support Quebec and/or its language, upon admission into the Order of Quebec, members are presented with various insignia of the organization—a medallion, miniature, and button. On the reverse of the badge is inscribed the orders motto—Honneur au peuple du Québec —and a serial number at the base of the vertical bar. Each member will also receive miniature versions of their insignia, identical in appearance save for size, a lapel pin is also used for wear on casual civilian clothing. The ribbon for miniatures is 18 millimetres wide, the ceremony takes place in the Salon Rouge of the parliament building in Quebec City, though exceptions are sometimes made when inductees cannot be present. The insignia remain property of the Crown in Right of Quebec and must be returned upon a cessation of membership in the society. Nana Mouskouri OQ, Greek singer, appointed 2013

33.
Royal Victorian Chain
–
The Royal Victorian Chain is an award instituted in 1902 by King Edward VII as a personal award of the monarch. In the order of precedence it ranks above the Royal Victorian Order, with which it is often associated, the Royal Victorian Chain was created by Edward VII in 1902, six years after his mother created the Royal Victorian Order. The Royal Victorian Chain ranks above all the Royal Victorian Order honours in order of precedence, Edward created it to honour his mother as a personal decoration for Sovereigns, Princes, and other Royal personages, and also for a few eminent British subjects. The first recipients included the Kings son, George, Prince of Wales, the chain is worn around the collar by men or with the four motifs and some chain links fixed to a riband in the form of bow on the left shoulder by women. However, the Queens sister, the late Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, in life chose to wear her chain around the collar. Both the crown and Queen Victorias cypher are studded with diamonds, the Royal Victorian Chain does not confer upon its recipients any style or title, nor does it give a precedence within any Commonwealth honours system. However, it represents a token of high distinction and esteem from the monarch. The chain can be conferred upon men and women, both of the realms and foreign, there are at least 11 recipients living, of whom only four were not heads of state at the time of award. It has normally served as the award for Canadians, who are generally ineligible to receive knighthoods under federal Cabinet policy. Only two Canadians have thus far received the chain, Vincent Massey and Roland Michener, both governors general. The Royal Victorian Chain must be returned on the death of the recipient, List of recipients of the Royal Victorian Chain List of Canadian awards Robertson, Megan C

The Order of Canada (French: Ordre du Canada) is a Canadian national order, admission into which is the second highest …

Governor GeneralMichaëlle Jean, then Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, poses with a full group of Order of Canada appointees at the 101st investiture ceremony banquet in the Tent Room of Rideau Hall, 11 April 2008